15 Drinks That Are (Almost) As Bad As Soda from 15 Drinks That Are (Almost) As Bad As Soda

15 Drinks That Are (Almost) As Bad As Soda

15 Drinks That Are (Almost) As Bad As Soda

It’s no secret that soda is bad for you, but 48 percent of Americans drink it every day, according to Gallup. The average daily amount is 2.6 glasses, with 28 percent drinking one glass a day, on average, and 20 percent drinking two or more glasses. You may be surprised to find out that the other drink you often consume is making you sick.

Huge cups of coffee

“People love their coffee,” Dr. Gioffre says. But caffeine is an adrenal and liver suppressor, he adds. It is also very acidic. That’s why coffee can aggravate heartburn or cause acid reflux. Studies have shown that coffee oils may decrease bile acids and neutral sterols, which may lead to increased cholesterol. Too much caffeine can lead to arrhythmia and chest pain. Research by the European Food Safety Authority has linked caffeine overdose to panic attacks.

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Complicated coffee drinks

In addition to the caffeine you consume, fancy coffee beverages have loads of sugar coming from the added milk or creamer, and too many calories. Drink coffee in moderation and put coconut milk, coconut oil or other high healthy fat to neutralize the acidic effect of coffee, Dr. Gioffre says.

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Vitamin water

This is sugar water, Dr. Gioffre says. “There is nothing about vitamin water that is vitamin.” The popular Vitamin Water packs about 120 calories and 32 grams of sugar, just about half as much as a regular Coke. Pick seltzers or flavor your water naturally by putting pieces of real fruit in it.

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Liquid creamer

The problem is titanium dioxide, which is an additive that has been shown to cause liver and tissue damage in mice. The additive is the most widely used white pigment. If that’s not enough, liquid coffee creamers are loaded with sugar, artificial sweeteners, and trans fats. You’ll recognize them by the name “hydrogenated oil” written on the label.

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Hot chocolate

The problem is the corn syrup. This delicious hot drink, ideal for cold days, should be treated more like a dessert. Just one cup, even homemade, has about 200 calories and 25 grams of sugar, according to the USDA. This is more than the amount of sugar in 12 oz. of soda.

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Energy drinks and shots

The market for them is huge because people are tired all the time and will do anything to feel better, Dr. Gioffre says. But energy drinks are notoriously bad for you. You’re consuming artificial colors, sugars and flavors that don’t even exist in real nature. Your endothelial function is acutely worse after consuming the beverage, according to a study. They have organic acids that are potentially very erosive to dental enamel because of their ability to breakdown calcium.

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Sweet and frozen cocktails

They are horrible because alcohol gets absorbed directly into the bloodstream increasing glucose quickly, and doesn’t get digested like normal food does. “Pair that with the sugar that spikes your blood sugar levels and now you’ve got a synergy of two evils […] and it’s like drinking a liquid candy bar,” Carly Pollack, certified clinical nutritionist, says.

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Nutrition shakes

Supplemental nutrition drinks can be helpful for people medial conditions, but these drinks aren’t magic bullets for nutrition, according to Harvard Medical School. The danger is that people see a lot of minerals and vitamins and think more is better; however, don’t do it if you eat a full meal and then drink a supplement. The main ingredient in them is sugar. It’s too many calories and the likely result is weight gain.

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Commercial lemonade

Too bad lemonade is not just lemon and water, Pollack says. “That would be great and you could sweeten it yourself.” But it’s typically laden with sugar, she adds. An 8 oz. cup of which has 100 calories – with fruit juices or artificial food dye added. Sweeteners add sugar to your blood, which helps produce fat. Drink a lot of water to minimize the effect.

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Fruit juice

“This is an unusual suspect,” Dr. Gioffre says. The fruit itself has fiber but it has all been lost during the process of making the juice, he adds. Fruit juices in stores are pasteurized, which means that all nutrition that is heat- sensitive gets destroyed and what remains is just lots of sugar. Orange juice has 18 grams of fructose per once, he adds.

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Regular milk

“A lot of people think milk is good for you,” Dr. Gioffre says. But dairy products are highly acidic and they need to be avoided, he adds. Also, milk contains a hormone called insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1). “It causes early puberty in girls, premature ageing and cancer,” he adds. The market has been flooded with fat-free milk products. The fat has been replaced with massive amounts of sugar and artificial sweeteners, which are acidic and very dangerous to your health, Dr. Gioffre says.

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Milkshakes

“The problem is that you’re consuming a tremendous amount of calories but because you’re not chewing them, the body is tricked into eating way more than you would have if you were actually chewing something,” Pollack says. A milkshake can contain 800 calories – equivalent to half of what a person may intake in a day, she adds.

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Beer

Beer is not healthy, Dr. Gioffre says. It is fermented which means it has yeast and sugar. “The darker the beer the more dangerous it is for the body because it means more sugar.” The carbs coming from barley and wheat, which is what beer is mode of, have a high Glycemic Index, which means they cause a huge insulin spike, leading to more sugar being stored by the body. “Vodka on the rocks is your best choice of alcohol,” Dr. Gioffre says.

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Fruit-only smoothies

If they are just all fruit, then they are all just sugar. If you want to drink a delicious smoothie that is also very healthy, you have to put dark leafy greens in the smoothies and healthy fats such as coconut oil, Dr. Gioffre says. “That’s real sustainable energy,” he adds. Green juice don’t taste like soda but the body will eventually get used to them and crave them, Dr. Gioffre says. “It will crave the result of feeling better and having more energy.”